Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Dallas Divide Dawn” By Bill Sisson. Location: Colorado.
Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.
Accompany me on a photographic sojourn into the land of inclement weather. It’s a glorious destination shrouded in cold and mist. A land whose frigid hands welcome you as they derive their power by sucking the juice from your camera’s battery. It’s a land surrounded by an ominous and mysterious fog that enshrouds all. Grab your umbrella, galoshes and gloves to ford your way through the cold and snow to make some wonderful images.
Five a.m. wake-up calls can be quite disconcerting, especially when setting your eyes upon the eastern horizon and witness a bank of gray accompanied by the pitter-patter of raindrops. Don’t despair—when nature deals a bum hand to your photographic day, good images can still be made. Be prepared, dress appropriately and show some common sense when it’s necessary to deal with poor weather conditions. If you’re not comfortable when out in the field, your photos will depict this. Being cold and wet prevents you from finding the perfect angle or taking that necessary extra step to create the perfect composition.
Fog
Leaving the comfort of your home or car and braving the elements is the first hurdle to overcome when photographing in inclement weather. For me, the easiest type of poor weather in which to shoot is fog. Foggy conditions elicit moody and ethereal feelings. The light is diffused and even but often flat. Take advantage of this to make a successful image.
The elements that comprise the composition recede, as does the intensity of their shape, color and contrast. Place a dominant subject in the foreground so it becomes the primary element. All other parts become secondary as they melt into the background in a wash of mist. This evokes a solemn and peaceful mood. When created properly, photographs made in the fog tend to be very soothing.
Shooting in the fog requires precautions to protect your camera from the surrounding mist. Fog does appear in differentiating densities. Therefore, its encountered density dictates what’s necessary to keep the camera safe. Along the coastal areas, fog can be so thick it feels like a misty drizzle. At other times, it can be a soft layer of moisture that thinly obscures the sun.
The biggest danger of fog to a camera is moisture. Modern camera bodies have intricate and delicate electronics, but most are manufactured with water sealing protection. I prefer to err on the side of caution, so I make sure no water creates a malfunction. In a thin fog, I periodically wipe the camera with a washcloth that lives in my camera bag. I also make sure I wipe the eyepiece, the filter that protects the front element of my lens, in addition to the lens barrel to prevent moisture from entering internal components.
Fog, especially when near larger bodies of water, harbors or coastal environments can be so thick it’s called pea soup. I’ve experienced this along the Oregon coast and the fishing ports of New England. In situations like this, I protect my equipment the same as if shooting in the rain due to the rapid buildup of water on my equipment.
Fog can easily trick a camera’s meter. Straight metering of fog creates an underexposed image due to its high reflectivity. My standard compensation is +1 f-stop. Depending upon its thickness, I’ve dialed in as much as +2 stops.
Rain
The weather channel shows a cloudless full moon across the screen. “Bummer,” I say to myself. No shots of city lights reflected off rain-soaked streets or streaks of car lights that reflect the mirrored surface from an overlook of Interstate 25. “Bummer,” I say to myself. No shots of saturated autumn-colored leaves in a deciduous forest of maples, oaks and birches that carpet the forest floor with a polyurethaned look of a fall shower upon them. “Bummer,” I say to myself as I gaze upon a sunlit cobblestone street below. Imagine what a great shot it would be if rain was falling and a lone figure with a red umbrella walked beneath me. Don’t get me wrong. I love the sun when it comes to photography. But when it’s obstinate and I’m dealt a wet weather hand, I still head out into the field. What does change is threefold: what I wear, what I bring and what I photograph.
First and foremost, I keep myself and my gear protected. If I’m wet and miserable, my creativity suffers. Commensurate with how I feel, the quality of my images reflects this. Waterproof shoes and outer gear are a must. For my cameras, I have “raincoats” made by OpTech. They are called Rainsleeves and work well to protect my camera and lens from the elements. Made of clear flexible polyurethane, they allow me to make any and all adjustments to my settings. They even make a model that accommodates the use of a flash. For light rain and mist, I periodically towel dry my gear and forego the Rainsleeve. I also keep the camera and lens inside my waterproof jacket when not in use.
If you become addicted to inclement weather shooting or your subject matter dictates you have no choice, OpTech makes vinyl rain sleeves. You’ve probably seen them used by sports photographers along the sidelines of football games during nasty weather. They’re reserved for the “inclement weather-aholic.” Needless to say, if the rain is associated with lightning, common-sense safety precautions should be taken. Choose a safe vantage point, try to shoot from inside a car or building and don’t carry your tripod like a lightning rod.
Next week, I’ll share more bad weather photography tips in part 2.
Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.
Today’s Photo Of The Day is “Room For More?” by Kevin Russell. Location: Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
“I came across this chipmunk preparing for winter while hiking at Mt. Rainier,” explains Russell.
See more of Kevin Russell’s photography on Facebook.
Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.
Congratulations to Jody Partin for winning the recent Summer Road Trips Assignment with the image, “Organ Mountains Moonset.” See more of Jody Partin’s photography at jody-partin.pixels.com.
View the winning image and a selection of submissions in the image gallery below. And be sure to check out our current photography assignment here and enter your best shots!
Today’s Photo Of The Day is “The Way Nature Paints” by Jon Reynolds. Location: Kebler Pass, Crested Butte, Colorado.
“Nature’s paintbrushes are in full color at Kebler Pass near Crested Butte, Colorado,” says Reynolds.
Sony A7III, 100-400mm G Master Lens at 282mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec., f/9, ISO 400.
Photo of the Day is chosen from various OP galleries, including Assignments, Galleries and the OP Contests. Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the OP website homepage, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them.
Sony today introduced the a9 II with new features that will smooth workflow for professional sports photographers and photojournalists. The headline upgrades center on connectivity and workflow for pros who need to quickly deliver images to remote editors, with enhanced networking capabilities and a Voice Memo function that allows the photographer to attached a recorded message to each photo, which can later be transcribed as text.
Sony a9 II
The Sony a9 II will ship in November with a list price of $4,500. For most photographers, the original a9 is probably the better choice, as it will remain in the lineup and is currently discounted to about $3,500 ($1,000 less than its initial price). Though that model is two years old, it’s still unrivaled in many respects, including its ability to capture up to 20 frames per second blackout-free with its electronic shutter at the camera’s full resolution of 24.2 MP, and an advanced AF system that’s been improved via firmware updates to include Real-time Tracking and Real-time Eye AF.
The Sony a9 II does have a faster mechanical shutter, able to shoot continuously at 10 fps versus 5 fps in the original a9, and “evolved AF performance with newly optimized algorithms,” but most outdoor photographers will likely be using the faster 20 fps electronic shutter for its speed and silent shooting anyway.
While we’d recommend the original a9 to the majority of users, if you shoot professionally for an agency or in a reporting environment, see the official press release below for details about the new networking and support features that could be a significant advantage in your workflow. Contact: Sony.com.
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Sony Electronics Introduces the Alpha 9 II with Enhanced Connectivity and Workflow for Professional Sports Photographers and Photojournalists
New Alpha 9 II Combines Alpha 9’s Unrivaled Speed with New Functionality to Match the Needs of Professionals
SAN DIEGO — October 3, 2019 — Sony Electronics today announced Alpha 9 II (model ILCE-9M2). The latest model from Sony’s acclaimed line-up of α (Alpha) full-frame interchangeable lens cameras, the new model has been created to support working professionals in the fields of sports photography and photojournalism.
The new Alpha 9 II builds on the impressive legacy of the original Alpha 9, maintaining groundbreaking speed performance, including blackout-free continuous shooting at up to 20 frames per second with Auto Focus and Auto Exposure tracking at 60 calculations per second.
Updates include significantly enhanced connectivity and file delivery, continuous shooting at up to 10 fps with mechanical shutter, and evolved AF performance with newly optimized algorithms, re-designed build to enhance durability and operability.
“The voice of our customers is absolutely critical to Sony – we are always listening,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president for Imaging Products and Solutions Americas at Sony Electronics. “The Alpha 9 II is the direct result of our work with agency, sports and news photographers since the launch of the original Alpha 9. We have added connectivity and network capabilities that drastically improve the professional workflow, while also making enhancements to design, interface and processing power that complete the user experience. Complemented by our extremely versatile E-mount system – with 55 native lenses introduced at this point including super-telephoto 600mm and 400mm G Master series lenses – this new camera is a tool unlike any other for professionals, whether in the field or on the field.”
Raising the Bar for Built-in Connectivity in the Professional’s Workflow
The Alpha 9 II includes a built-in 1000BASE-T Ethernet terminal, enabling gigabit communication for high-speed, stable data transfer operations. Additionally, File Transfer over SSL or TLS encryption (FTPS) is supported for increased data security and PC remote (tether) shooting performance is improved, with decreased release time lag and reduced live view screen delay when using the ‘Remote Camera Tool’ desktop application. The speed of the camera’s built-in wireless LAN functionality has also been increased, adding a stable and fast 5 GHz (IEEE 802.11ac) band, in addition to the 2.4 GHz provided in the Alpha 9. IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac standards are all supported.
Designed to improve the speed of news agencies’ workflow, the Alpha 9 II features a new Voice Memo function that allows spoken information to be attached to images in the form of voice memos that can be replayed when the images are reviewed. The voice data can also be included with images sent to an editor, giving them important information needed for effective editing. Alternatively, a field photographer can also use the ‘Transfer & Tagging add-on’ “Imaging Edge” application to transfer voice tags with the images to their mobile device and have the voice memos automatically converted to text and added to the JPEG images in the form of IPTC metadata. All of this can be done automatically or manually selected by the photographer.
By combining wireless voice/image transfer and automatic voice-to-text conversion with the ability to auto-transfer images with attached voice memos via FTP, it is possible to shoot and transfer the results to an FTP server without ever having to operate a smartphone. FTP settings within the app can also be sent to a camera via Bluetooth®, allowing for a faster workflow.
The Platinum Standard for Speed and Auto Focus Performance
The new Alpha 9 II shares the same acclaimed 35mm full-frame stacked 24.2 MP Exmor RS CMOS image sensor with integral memory as the original Alpha 9, giving it the same unmatched speed performance and outstanding image quality. The new model can shoot continuously and completely silently at 20 fps for up to 361 JPEG images or 239 compressed RAW images, with no viewfinder blackout allowing the photographer to follow the subject and action with no interruption to the EVF during picture taking. For times when mechanical shutter is preferred or required, the new Alpha 9 II has been improved to shoot at up to 10 fps, about 2x the speed of the Alpha 9.
The camera is able to function while continuously calculating Auto Focus and Auto Exposure at up to 60 times per second, with newly optimized AF algorithms that provide notably enhanced AF precision and performance, ensuring that even the most erratic subject motion that is associated with sports are captured with high precision. Also useful for sporting events, the camera now offers an anti-flicker shooting mode that automatically detects and adjusts for the presence of fluorescent or artificial lighting to maximize image quality.
The advanced focusing system in the new Alpha 9 II is far beyond the capabilities of any professional camera. Comprised of 693 focal-plane phase-detection AF points covering approximately 93% of the image area, as well as 425 contrast AF points, the Fast Hybrid Auto Focus system achieves extremely fast and accurate performance, ensuring all fast-moving subjects are accurately captured. Additional notable focusing capabilities include Real-time Eye AF with right eye / left eye selection, Real-time Eye AF for animal augmented with a new algorithm, Real-Time Eye AF for movie, Real-time Tracking, selectable focus frame color, Touch Pad focus point control while using the viewfinder and more. AF can also now continuously track even if continuous shooting is greater than F16, providing further accuracy for shots that require slower shutter speeds.
Refined Build and Operability
Upgraded BIONZ X image processing engine gains maximum benefit from the sensor’s fast readout speed; processor works with front-end LSI to enhance speed in AF/AE detection, image processing, face detection and accuracy, and more
Upgraded dust and moisture resistant design to meet the needs of professionals in even the most challenging outdoor conditions; stronger sealing provided at all body seams as well as the battery compartment cover and media slot
Latest developed image-processing algorithm reduces noise in the medium-to-high sensitivity range while improving subjective resolution and image quality
5-axis optical in-body image stabilization system that provides a shutter speed advantage of 5.5 steps
Improved grip configuration for even greater comfort and sure hold; compatible with Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip
Improved button design and feel; increased diameter and feedback of the ‘AF-ON’ button; a refined multi-selector joystick design; an exposure compensation dial lock button; and a redesigned shape and new position for the rear dial
Redesigned shutter mechanism to suppress even the slightest movement that can cause image blur; tested for durability in excess of 500,000 shutter cycles
USB Type-C connector that supports fast USB 3.2 Gen 1 data transfer
Dual media slots that are both compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards, allowing higher overall capacity and faster read/write speeds
Digital audio interface has been added to the camera’s Multi Interface Shoe (MI Shoe), enabling the new ECM-B1M Shotgun Microphone or XLR-K3M XLR Adaptor Kit to be connected directly to the MI Shoe for cleaner, clearer audio recordings
Pricing and Availability
The new Alpha 9 II will be available in November 2019 priced at approximately $4,500 US and $6,000 CA. It will be sold at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.
series lenses – this new camera is a tool unlike any other for professionals, whether in the field or on the field.” 